ArtsEmerson Brings Step Afrika!'s Premiere Piece STONO To The Digital Platform

As part of the institution's long presenting history with D.C.'s Step Afrika! troupe, ArtsEmerson is excited to welcome these brilliant artists back, this time in the digital realm. Step Afrika!'s powerful, pulsing, world premiere piece, Stono, highlights the spirit of resistance and activism of a part of American history that has often been overlooked. The premiere will be shared on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, marking the 281st anniversary of the Stono Rebellion.

The 30-minute virtual premiere will be immediately followed by a 30-minute live panel discussion moderated by Lesli Foster (Evening Anchor, WUSA) and joined by C. Brian Williams (Founder and Executive Director, Step Afrika!), Dr. Aimee Cox (Associate Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies, Yale University), Kendall Thomas (Nash Professor of Law, Columbia University Law School) and Bruce Teague (Mayor of Iowa City, IA). Panelists will explore the Stono Rebellion and its relevance to issues regarding political protest and structural inequities that dominate American conversations today.

In advance of that premiere, ArtsEmerson's executive director David C. Howse and artistic director David Dower will welcome Step Afrika! founder C. Brian Williams for In Conversation: Step Afrika! and ArtsEmerson, where they will discuss the two arts organizations' long arc relationship, adapting live performance for digital spaces, and what audiences can expect from Stono and Step Afrika! in the future. This conversation takes place on Friday, September 4, 2020 at 12:00noon, and everyone is welcome.

These Step Afrika! virtual events are free, however, guests are encouraged to donate to Step Afrika! to help the organization navigate this unprecedented time and fortify their work to explore digital opportunities ahead. For more information on how to access these virtual events, visit ArtsEmerson.org.

Stono highlights the largest insurrection of enslaved Africans in North America on September 9, 1739 which began in South Carolina on the banks of the Stono River. Some 20 Africans marched south toward a promised freedom in Spanish Florida, waving flags, beating drums, and shouting "Liberty!" When Africans subsequently lost the right to use their drums, through The Negro Act of 1740, they began to use their bodies as percussive instruments in response, giving rise to ring shout, tap, hambone, and stepping. They were referred to as "Drumfolk," keeping their traditions alive in the face of oppression and inequity.

Lead Commissioning Support for Stono is provided by Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa. Additional commissioning support is provided by AARP, Arts Emerson, ASU Gammage, Capital One, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts/University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Lied Center for Performing Arts (University of Nebraska), Strathmore, Verizon and the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at California State University, Northridge. Step Afrika! extends deep gratitude to Events DC and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for operating support as Washington, DC's largest African American arts organization.

DETAILS

Friday, September 4, 2020 at 12:00pm

In Conversation: Step Afrika! and ArtsEmerson

FREE with RSVP

Live ASL interpretation will be provided; captioning will be available in the recording.

Step Afrika! founder and executive director C. Brian Williams joins ArtsEmerson executive director David C. Howse and artistic director David Dower for a conversation about the two arts organizations' long arc relationship, adapting live performance for digital spaces, and what audiences can expect from Stono and Step Afrika! in the future.

Pre-register here.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 8:00pm

Stono

FREE with RSVP

Guests are encouraged to donate to Step Afrika! to help the organization navigate this unprecedented time and fortify their work to explore digital opportunities ahead.

This virtual premiere will be immediately followed by a live panel discussion moderated by Lesli Foster (Evening Anchor, WUSA) and joined by C. Brian Williams (Founder and Executive Director, Step Afrika!), Dr. Aimee Cox (Associate Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies, Yale University), Kendall Thomas (Nash Professor of Law, Columbia University Law School) and Bruce Teague (Mayor of Iowa City, IA). Panelists will explore the Stono Rebellion and its relevance to issues regarding political protest and structural inequities that dominate American conversations today.

To post a comment, you must register and login.